9 more sites in South Bronx test positive for Legionella; no new cases reported in 9 days

SOUTH BRONX, N.Y. (WABC) -- Nine more sites, including three more in the "impact zone," have tested positive for Legionella bacteria in the South Bronx.

New York City health officials on Wednesday said a total of 20 sites have now tested positive for the bacteria, with 14 of them in the area where most of the cases have originated.

There have been 119 cases of human infection of Legionnaires' disease in the South Bronx. Out of those, 12 people have died.

Wednesday marked the ninth straight day of no new cases being reported. City officials said they believe the spread of the disease is tapering off since cooling towers where the bacteria were found have been cleaned.

Last week, Health Commission Dr. Mary Bassett issued an order for mandatory testing of cooling towers across the city.

Bassett said she and other health officials believe the cooling towers were the source of the outbreak, which is the largest in the city's history. They believe the people who contracted the disease breathed mist that was expelled from the infected towers.